Rio was now in a bullhead, and a prompt ten minutes after Emerald and Mercury's match had concluded.
Naturally, he was heading back to Beacon. Now, he wished he could say this happened all by his lonesome, or failing that, with the only audible noise being the comfortable hum of the flying vehicle.
Rio didn't get his wish.
"So, it's Rio, right?" an upbeat voice asked, right before its owner dropped in the seat next to him, and without any reluctance. On a side note, this had her completely ignoring the spacious bullhead's open, empty, and much lonelier looking seats.
Rio tried not to stare too longingly at them.
Of course, this was made slightly difficult due to Lilith, who after a quite frankly adorable amount of hesitation, promptly mirrored her friend, taking the seat on his other side.
A beat passed, and the boy inwardly sighed.
"Yes, that's right," Rio said with a smile, keeping his eyes forward.
The blonde nodded once, before her eyes widened a tad. "Oh, I'm this cutie's partner by the way. Alexia. Alexia Lumeene. But you can just call me Lexi." She stuck out a hand towards him.
Rio grasped it after a second. "...It's nice to meet you, Miss Alexia," he said with practiced politeness.
"Lexi's fine."
"...Right. My mistake. Miss Lexi, then—"
"Lexi's fine," the girl repeated.
Rio's smile fell slightly.
Hers didn't, and the silence that ensued after that was quite something.
Also, Rio was only vaguely aware of how Lilith was forced to weather through it from the sidelines, and with the kind teetering apprehension that was closer to endearing than anything else.
Now, incidentally...
Rio couldn't be sure whether or not that soft-spoken girl's expression was genuine concern... or merely the resigned acceptance of someone who had already seen their friend act like this dozens of times and was therefore more than used to it.
Both options tired him out.
"...Lexi," Rio eventually said, smile returning, even if it was so frail and brittle that the simplest of breezes could have knocked it over. Also, this time, he didn't even try to hide the tiniest of sighs that escaped his mouth.
Not that Alexia seemed to care.
"Heehee. And that's my win!"
"I-I'm so sorry for her," Lilith whispered from the side, face so red with shame that one would think she was the one who had been in her friend's place.
"Eh? Lili?" Alexia rounded on her, and her bouncy bangs went as far as to inch closer to him in order to do so.
Rio, once again, kept his eyes forward.
Anyway.
Somehow, something akin to a normal conversation continued after that.
Although on a technicality, it was the girls doing most of the talking, with Alexia happily leading this charge, a mischievous little smile ever present. But surprising Rio somewhat was the timid but still curious Lilith, who refused to be left out.
"R-Rio," she said. "You're about to be placed into the tournament properly, right? A-Are you excited for your first singles match?"
Rio glanced at her.
"...I'd like to think so," he replied, and with a small smile. "Although... from what I've seen, the competition is about to become quite steep."
"I dunno..." Alexia threw out, crossing her arms, side-eyeing him with a lazy smile. "Before, they were saying Pyrrha Nikos was clearly the favorite to win. Now, well..."
The blonde girl's eyes looked him up and down, and when she even positioned her fingers into a little picture frame, Lilith immediately swatted at her friend's arm.
Rio, pretending he hadn't noticed, responded diplomatically. "...Well, I've heard Pyrrha is quite skilled. If I even make it that far, it should be a fun match if nothing else."
"Alright, Mr. Humble~."
There was a lull in the conversation after that, and Rio took it upon himself to ask something he had been curious about.
"Miss Lilith... Lexi... if it's not too rude, which of your teammates are competing?"
"Oh, um, actually... none of us are," Lilith said with a smile and a nervous tilt to her head.
Rio paused for a beat, and he immediately backpedaled. "...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked something like that."
"Relax," Alexia let out with a snort, before sharing a look with Lilith. "...Our team can fight and all that just fine, whether that's Grimm or sparring... but... that's about it. Our skills are pretty bare bones, and we don't really have anything like fancy semblances or weapons, you know?"
The blonde raised a hand, and surprising Rio a little, a sort of shield appeared out of thin air. It was translucent, and the size was no bigger than a bowl. And, it was clear what Alexia thought of it, given that her ever-present smile dimmed the tiniest bit.
"I trained for over ten years, and all I can manage is something like this, and even then, it can barely even take one attack before it shatters."
"...M-Mine's even more boring," Lilith told him. "All I can do is make the things I touch just a little bit hotter."
Rio stared at Lilith silently.
Words of encouragement wouldn't be of any help here, nor did he even feel like he had the right to give them in the first place. No, even beyond all that... the girls in front of him; they were kids, yes, but they weren't so young that they needed to be coddled like they were made of glass.
So.
The boy continued to remain quiet.
"But then I saw your fight, and I was like, maaaaan! Maybe I should have joined the tournie after all!" Alexia complained loudly, without any warning whatsoever, and it caused Rio's mind to draw a blank.
...Eh?
Because whether it was Alexia's face that suddenly lost its melancholy, or even the smile she immediately chose to share with Lilith, the switchup was bewildering.
"Haha, what~?" Noticing the look on his face, the blonde girl tossed him a grin. "Did you really think I was all depressed and moping? Or harping on you for having some flashy ability while I don't? Ha. Not even. Rather, it's because you had it that your match was so fun to watch."
"I'm... sorry?" Rio let out, having trouble understanding her meaning.
"...I think what Lexi means is that you didn't just fight with your semblance," Lilith said softly. "You were just as capable without it. Anyone could see that." Then the faunus girl looked away, blushing. "I-It was, um, really cool, even... even when you did look a little scary."
Rio blinked.
What.
"Which is why it's so frustrating," Alexia suddenly pulled at her hair. "This whole time, I had it in my head that this power of mine had to be some presentable showstopper, when I really should have just focused on bettering all of myself instead. Man, I've been missing out."
Rio didn't say anything for a while, just continuing to stare. After all, this wasn't what he expected. No, he was glad they weren't as dispirited as he had thought, and that it seemed that he had ended up helping in some way, but...
...It's kind of a low blow considering how much of my spirit arts I've been holding back this entire time?
Rio sighed.
A hand instantly clapped his shoulder, Lexi's, and her eyes bored into his. "Hey, I'm telling you got me all fired up before... feel free to show a bit more reaction!"
Rio just stared at her... but eventually, a slightly more meaningful smile, however small, appeared on his face. "...Well, if that's the case, I'm happy to hear it."
At that point, the bullhead landed on Beacon grounds, stopping the conversation then and there.
And when a suddenly saddened Alexia and Lilith mentioned they had somewhere else to be, Rio put every fiber of his being into not letting the relief show on his face.
That said, the two departed, heading to the meal building, waving at him as they did. Smiling, Rio waved back. Of course, when he was sure they were out of sight, he dropped the smile, and with a hefty sigh.
Now alone, Rio found himself looking away from the school and out at the forest beyond.
There was no reason for it.
Still, the sky above it was just beginning to darken, and the moon in all its shattered glory began to rise.
Beautiful, in its own way, of course.
Yet at the same time...
"...Right," Rio breathed out after a while, both his tone and expression now impassive. "I suppose I'll retire early tonight." With that quiet murmur, the boy turned around and began his walk back.
Only.
Oh...
Rio came to a stop when he noticed three figures several feet away. The white material of their outfits glimmered faintly under the sky that was quickly becoming night.
Two helmeted soldiers flanked the sharp figure of one white haired woman.
They were walking towards an Atlas ship.
Guess she's leaving, then.
Rio continued to watch, curiously, up until the point where the ship ramp started to descend, and they were about to get on. Or at least, that's what the boy thought would happen.
Because at that moment, the woman turned her head in his direction, and it really must have been a coincidence, because the second she saw him, Winter Schnee paused.
Not wanting to appear rude, especially now that he had been caught staring, Rio simply dipped his head in a show of respect, hoping that would be the end of it. And yet... when Winter's mouth moved inaudibly, and her soldiers marched up the ramp by themselves, Rio's hopes weren't quite realized.
That was the sentiment behind the smile he forced on his face as Winter Schnee of the Atlas Military approached.
"Rio Amakawa. I was hoping I'd be allowed one more conversation with you."
"...Phrasing it like that just makes me nervous. I didn't think there was anything more you needed to speak with me about, Miss Schnee." Rio replied cordially.
"Please look after Weiss," Winter said, abandoning all subtlety.
Rio blinked.
He was even silent for a bit.
Because, inwardly, he was confused.
After all, Weiss and him...
They weren't even all that close.
"...Your sister has never struck me as the type to need looking after," Rio eventually said, his tone not only subdued, but slightly inquisitive. "No, even before that... wouldn't such a request be better given to that of her team?"
Winter arched an eyebrow.
"...Is that your refusal?"
They both stared at each other.
Then.
"Of course not," Rio sighed out. "If she needed help right in front of me... I wouldn't look the other way."
Winter's lips curved faintly.
"Hmph. Good."
But... then the smile faltered. And yet it was only because a slightly more awkward look took its place. "Ah, there is one more thing..." the woman uttered, suddenly giving him a strange glance.
Rio tilted his head in question.
Winter hesitated, then spoke.
"...Are you really not related to us?"
In the silence that followed, Rio didn't react for the longest time. Eventually, however, that changed, and his lips twitched. No, soon, he even found himself letting out a short huff of what might have been a laugh.
And whether that was because of the slow and halting way the older woman asked that, or even the cramped expression crinkling her face as she did, even that boy couldn't be sure.
Regardless... "Not since last I checked, Miss Schnee," Rio answered goodnaturedly, both his tone and his gaze suddenly full of mirth. "Please, have a safe flight back."
"...Er, right. Good day."
And with that last exchange, the woman briskly walked back to the ship... and Rio wondered if he imagined the tips of her ears reddening.